Catch Up Days

Recently, I’ve been doing better on my healthy plan - logging my food, exercising, eating the right foods most of the time, and staying active. But, I’ve noticed I still have one bad day a week. Usually it follows several really good days or a day of heavy exercise. I feel like those bad days undo all the work I’ve done the rest of the week.

So I need to control myself some how on those “catch up days”. Do you have days like that? When you feel you could eat anything in sight or within reach? Maybe our bodies are trying to tell us something. And we should listen. Did I have enough protein the day before? What did I miss on my plate? Was it a balanced diet? Am I constipated? It’s always good to stop and ask yourself why? And it would be best to stop myself before I have the day of non-stop eating.

There are always challenges. Right now these “catch up days” are my problem. I’m searching for answers and will try to do better in the weeks ahead. The important thing is to not give up. ‘Don’t throw the baby out in the bathwater’…so they say. 

Take heart, the Bible says, “The righteous eat to their hearts’ content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry,” (Proverbs 13:25 NIV).

Have a blessed day.

Gloria D. Stewart

A Few Seconds

A Few Seconds

‘Tis the season of graduation parties, weddings, bridal showers, barbecues, picnics, ice cream. . ., a season difficult for those of us overly attracted to food. 

A couple of weeks ago, I attended my eldest grandson’s graduation party.  His parents presented to the party goers a buffet of enticing Mexican foods—burritos with all the fillings and sauces, chips and salsa or guacamole plus a candy buffet (kids loved it) with Swedish fish, kissin’ cousin of cherry Twizzlers, M & M’s . . . .  When I’d finished my serving of burrito and chips, you know what?  I craved more.  I wasn’t hungry; I just wanted the continued pleasure of good taste.  So, I went to the candy buffet—mistake.  I can’t eat just one Swedish Fish. 

Do you relate?  When you eat food at such events, do you find yourself craving more?

Eating involves so much—satisfying hunger, of course, providing nutrients to the body. When we eat with others, eating provides fellowship.  But eating is also a sensual pleasure.  We like the feel of food in our mouths and the pleasure of taste.  Thus, that pleasure  provides comfort in times of anger, sadness, frustration, even in times of joy, right?  Let’s celebrate—with food.

God provides food for us.  He created our bodies, so also He provides the nutrients our bodies need for health.   Food is not an evil, but we humans have­­, at times, distorted the appropriate use of food.

As I think of  times I crave more food than I need or use food for comfort, I think of those few seconds before I choose to have a second helping, even though I’m no longer hungry, or when I stop for an ice cream cone, but I’m not hungry.  Those few seconds before I act when a still, small voice speaks in my heart, saying, “You really don’t need or want that.  Turn away.” 

And I am reminded, God never tempts us, but He always provides a way out. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1Cor. 10:13, New Living Translation.

In those few seconds before we reach our hands out to take food we don’t need, the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts and provides to us the power to turn away.

May you enjoy happy, healthy eating.

                                                                                                                        By Sharon Witty

                                                                                                                        May 17, 2018

Pleasing to God

Spring is a season of newness and I love that about spring. So to give me a fresh start on my healthy weight plan I have returned to an idea that has worked for me in the past: logging what I eat each day. Writing down everything I put in my mouth helps me see the volume and quality of what I ingest. That is beneficial in evaluating the amount of empty calories – those that provide no value to my body: no protein, no vitamins; just calories and a temporary delight, especially things like potato chips and candy.

Just looking at what I eat helps me see if I’m getting enough protein, vegetables, healthy fats, and fruits. I can visually consider the balance of the foods; how would that look on the food pyramid or a divided plate. The daily food log confirms when I’m doing a great job or offers glaring evidence when I’m heading the wrong direction. A personal food log can help us become “His Best” as Sharon shared last time.

“…Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” (Romans 12: 1-2 NIV).

I want my body to be pleasing to God so I must resist the temptations that the world offers. All of those food commercials on television! The aisles of snack foods in the grocery store! The junk food for sale at track meets and baseball games!

Let us claim the strength of the Holy Spirit to help us create healthy food logs in the weeks of spring that remain. God is so good! He provides a helper for the exact moments we need Him. May God bless you.

Gloria D. Stewart

His Best

His Best

Recently, I became acquainted with the writing of Barbara Taylor Brown, an Episcopal priest.  She writes that God loves all of me—every wart, wrinkle and fat cell.  That is, He loves my flesh as well as my soul and spirit.

Hm, you say, “But you haven’t seen my body.”  Doesn’t make any difference.  He loves every inch of us.  And why wouldn’t He?  Because He loves us, He created us; we are His. True, Scripture tells me gluttony, which is a type of greed, is a sin:  Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity or greed among you.  Such sins have no place among God’s people (Ephesians 5:3 New Living).  But would overeating be a sin?  Does it offend God?  Hurt Him?  I don’t think so.

I am no theologian, but these are my thoughts on those questions.  You probably agree with me that because He loves us, God wants only the best for each of us.  One aspect of being our best is to be healthy.  And how often does the medical industry tell us that being overweight causes cancer, heart problems, strokes, etc., etc.  Obviously, being overweight is not our best.  Medicine continues by telling us that to live healthy we need to exercise, rest, and eat healthy.

So maybe God, in His wisdom, calls overeating a sin because He wants His best for us and His best for us includes being healthy.  The Scripture verse Gloria responded to at the beginning of this month tells us how to do that: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)

So we can achieve God’s desire for us to be the best we can be through God’s power, the power of the Holy Spirit.

                                                                                                            Sharon Witty

                                                                                                            April 20, 2018

Hope in Temptation

“Words are the voice of the heart” is the inscription on a square stone plaque that I keep on my desk. As a writer, many of my blogs and letters gush with the words of my heart. That‘s just who I am. When it comes to eating, my cooking is another form of expressing my heart. I love to prepare a big meal for family, including many of their favorites. I want nothing more than to experience their delight in something they have a craving for.

My problem is the leftovers. I spent hours in the kitchen preparing deliciousness. It breaks my heart to throw away what I labored over with all my heart: so I eat and eat. 

Perhaps your food temptation is something else. Or perhaps you struggle with a different kind of food issue. Some binge, some starve themselves, some are closet-eaters; others are overeaters like me. Food has been a problem for humans since the beginning of time in the Garden of Eden. But, there is hope.

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV).

Some things that help me with my food temptations are: 1. Go brush my teeth. I don’t like to eat when my teeth feel nice and clean. 2. Do something or go somewhere that I can’t or won’t eat: wash dishes by hand; knit, crochet, or sew; work on the computer; work in the garden; exercise; drive the car. 3. Remove the temptation from your access: give the food away, throw the food away, put the food in the freezer. “…He will provide a way out…”

If you have suggestions that work for you, we’d love to have you share them with us as a comment, so others can be helped, too. Thank you!

Remember: at the end of the day God still loves us 

By Gloria D. Stewart

Fear, Timidity, Love and Self-discipline

As I sat down to the computer to prepare my post for this month, I had no idea what to write, so I acted wisely—I prayed!!  The following thoughts came to mind.

 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline”

 (I Tim. 1:7, (New Living translation).

Earlier this month, Gloria shared with us her thoughts on this verse, reminding us to stick post-it notes around our homes to keep us focused on the task before us.  I’d like to continue reflecting on this verse.

I returned  home Tuesday, March 13, from a trip to Florida where I visited my husband’s brother and his wife, and gathered with three high school friends, one of whom lives in Florida.  The week was a blessed time of fellowship. 

As with any vacation, food was a definite part of it.  As I reflect on this verse from Second Timothy, I think of the fear and timidity I often feel around others when sharing food.  I am timid about turning down food offered to me/prepared for me by others.  I fear offending them, yet I know how overeating or eating certain foods sets up a craving within me that is often difficult to curtail.  Although I did say, “no” while in Florida, I said “no” with fear and self-consciousness.

And the thought comes to me if I know I am going into such a situation, I need to prepare myself by praying—praying for a spirit of love and of self-discipline, praying that the Holy Spirit give me the words to say, in love, to turn down food I know is harmful to me and that He fill me with the self-discipline I need to turn down such foods.

Claim God’s Power as Your Own

Sharon’s last blog was “Self-Control”. God led me to 2 Timothy 1:7 during another Bible study this month so I’m going to follow God’s pathway and Sharon’s lead because it must be the direction I need to go.

I am empowered when I read this scripture in 2 Timothy. And I know I really need to be empowered. I’m going to post this verse in noticeable spots around the house so I can be reminded and remember the promise God gives me and you!

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline,” (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV).

Positive self-talk and reminder notes of encouragement really help me keep my focus on God and what He can do in my life. This weight-loss/healthy-diet/healthy-body challenge that we share feels like a mountain climb at times. That’s how this blog was established. Sharon and I hoped that God could use us to help others who struggle, too.

Try writing this scripture and posting it somewhere and let it speak to you in the weeks ahead. And claim God’s spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline as your very own.

Gloria D. Stewart